Locking means for bucket pins



Nov. 28, 1939. G. H. WATSON 3 L LOCKING MEANS FOR BUCKET PINS FiledApril 27, 1939 Patented Nov. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GeorgeHerbert, Watson,

assignor to Alluvial Mining Wales, Australia,

Sydney,v New South Equipment Limited, Sydney, New South Wales,

tralia Australia, a company of New South Wales, Aus- Application April2'7, 1939, Serial No. 270,441 In Australia October 10, 1938 1 Claim.

This invention has particular reference to the locking of the bucketconnecting pins in bucket dredges or conveyors.

. In bucket dredgers the connecting pin through the front eyes of onebucket and the back eye of the preceding bucket is locked againstrotation in such front eyes, to confine wear to the pin, whilst the reareye of the preceding bucket is bushed and rocks on the pin, to permitthe buckets to move about the tumblers.

Many devices have been proposed for the purpose of locking the bucketpin in the front bucket eyes, but all of such devices which have beensuccessful have also been relatively complicated and expensive toinstall and maintain, in that a head is formed on the pin itself, withwhich a locking device co-operates to prevent rotation of the pin. Themost conventional form incorporates a relatively large L head on one endof the pin.

The bucket pins are particularly expensive, for they are formed ofcostly alloy, such as nickel chrome steel, and considerable forging andmachining is necessary to produce the head thereon. The cost of themetal in the head, and the forging and machining of the hard metal tofinish the head, represents the greater part of the cost of the pin.

The object of this invention is to provide a locking means for thebucket pin which will be particularly compact, and eflicient in use, andwhich will moreover permit of a major saving in the cost of the pinsthemselves, in that the head on the conventional pin is entirelyeliminated, along with the cost involved in the production of the head.

A further important advantage inherent in the present invention is thatthe pin may be reversed end for end to throw wear on the opposite sideof the pin, as readily as the pin is originally inserted. Such reversalis not possible with the conventional L headed pin. This feature of theinvention virtually doubles the life of the pin.

In order to fully describe the invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawing which depicts a preferred form thereof, and inwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a typical bucket, with the inventionapplied to the front 50 bucket pin,

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional elevation on plane 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a broken front elevation of the bucket eyes and the pin, inpart cross-section,

55 and Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modification.

The bucket 5 has a back eye 6, and two similar front eyes i, l in whichare mounted the ends of a plain pin 8 by means of which the bucket 5 isconnected to the adjacent bucket. The ends or" the pin 8 finish flushwith the outer surface of the eyes I, 'l and no head is formed on the Asthe'formation of each front eye I, and the 10 locking of the pin 8therein, is the same, one only is described.

A parallel slot 9 is formed through the eye, from front to rear, andintermediate the sides, of the eye. Curved seatings l0, ID are machinedalong the upper and lower sides of the slot.

Pin 8, adjacent its'end, is formed with a recess ll of part-oval sectionwhich is adapted to register with slot 9 through the eye, and inparticular with the upper-seating ID with which it forms an ovalaperture, as clearly seen on the left side of Figure 3.

A wedge block l2, longitudinally tapered and of oval cross-section, isinserted in slot 9 from the front of the eye I. The wedge block l2 seatson one side in the recess H in the pin 8, and on the opposite side inthe seating Ill of the slot 9 through the eye. In this manner the wedgeblock l2 jambs the pin 8 in the eye 1 and restrains it againstrotational and axial movement in the eye. The slot 9 is sumciently deepto prevent the wedge l2 from seating simultaneously on both sides of theslot.

The wedge block 12 is formed with a threaded shank l3 which extendsrearwardly from the eye I, passing through an abutment plate I4 disposedover the rear face of the eye. On the exterior of the plate Hi the shankis fitted with nuts [5, l5 by means of which the wedge block I2 is drawninto position and locked. 40

In the construction illustrated in Figure 4, the general arrangement issimilar to that described, except that slot 53 through the bucket eye Iis substantially central of the depth of the eye, and the pin is formedwith an oval slot H s1ibstantially centrally through it. Slot H is, ofcourse, of sufficient depth to provide clearance on one side of thewedge block I2. The operation of this form is as above described, inthat the wedge block l2 seats along one side on the slot II in the pin,and along the opposite side on the slot 9 in the eye. It will beappreciated that the invention provides simple and neat means forlocking the front pin in the bucket eyes. The pin is of plain roundsection, such as stock material, and

the only machining necessary thereon is the formation of the recesses II or slot I 1 which results in a very considerable saving in materialand machining in comparison with the conventional L headed pin.

As the rear side of the pin wears in use, it is merely necessary toremove the pin and reverse it end-for-end in order to present a freshworking surface.

Actually, the locking means according to this invention are necessaryonly in one eye to prevent rotational or axial displacement of the pinin the bucket eyes. If the pin itself is recessed at both ends, lockingmeans in one eye only may be used without sacrificing the features ofreversibly of the pin.

The feature that the slot through the bucket eye is intermediate thesides of the eye, maintains the strength of the eye to a greater extentthan does a slot opening to the side of the eye.

I claim:

Locking means for bucket pins comprising a headless pin mounted inspaced eyes in the bucket, one of said eyes having a slot through thesame intermediate the sides of the eye, said pin having a similar andsimilarly disposed recess adjacent each end thereof and adapted toregister with the slot in the eye, a wedge block disposed in said slotand seating along one side on the recess in the pin and along theopposite side in the slot in the eye, and screw means for forcing saidwedge block into locked position, said pin being reversible end for endin said eyes, and those portions of the surface of the pin which areengaged by the wedge block being inclined to the axis of the wedgeblock, by virtue of all of which when the rear side of the pin wears inuse the pin may be reversed in said eyes to present a fresh workingsurface.

GEORGE HERBERT WATSON.

